The minivan’s advent in the ‘80s was sparked by Chrysler’s Caravan and Voyager twins, and they were powered by a 4-cylinder engine. Young and not-so-young families scooped up the 7-passenger, K-car derived wagons like hot cakes, despite its 96-horsepower mill. Competitors soon followed.
And then, it happened. Like every other vehicle segment, minivans got bigger. And bigger. And bigger, to the point where even a 3.0-litre V6 engine seems overworked. Soccer Moms probably got tired of paying for $50 fill-ups, because the minivan had gotten big to the point where they could hardly be called mini. Oh yeah, we also fell in love with SUVs which, ironically, also required $50 fill-ups at the time.
And despite the size increase, a minivan still carries 7 passengers, sometimes 8. The latest-generation Sienna, introduced last year, is two feet longer than the ‘80s Toyota Van and one foot longer than the ‘90s Previa. One thing it has in common with its predecessors—at least the specific Sienna I’m driving this week—is that it’s powered by a 4-cylinder engine.
You’re kidding, you say? Nope. Obviously, a V6 is still the way to go for most buyers, but Toyota is trying to prove that you can get decent fuel economy out of a minivan. The 2.7-litre four develops 187 horsepower and 186 lb-ft of torque, and it’s managed by a 6-speed automatic transmission with a manual mode.
Off the cuff, I must say that I was expecting the 4,189-lb weight of our Sienna tester to take its toll on straight-line performance. I was wrong. We clocked a 0 to 100 km/h time of 8.5 seconds which, ironically, is quicker than the V6-powered minivans entered in the AJAC’s 2011 Car of the Year competition, the 248-hp Honda Odyssey (9.2) and the 266-hp Sienna (8.8).
In addition, the 6-speed tranny keeps the engine spinning at just 2,000 rpm while you’re driving at 100 km/h on the highway, which is good for both cabin noise and fuel economy.
Alas, when you start loading up this Sienna with passengers, that’s when the 2.7 starts working harder, but without complaint, and fuel consumption goes up. Our average of 11.7 L/100 km is better than with a V6, but not by much. Figure about 13 L/100 km with the bigger engine under the same conditions.
Unsurprisingly, acceleration suffers exponentially as you fill the Sienna with 200-lb adults and cargo. Toyota doesn’t recommend towing with the 4-cylinder engine, and consequently isn’t publishing a tow capacity rating.
Inside, the LE with the 2.7 gets a 7-passenger seating configuration, which means captain’s chairs in the 2nd row and a split-folding bench in the 3rd. Interior space isn’t as voluminous as in the new Honda Odyssey and Nissan Quest, but each occupant benefits from plenty of room nonetheless. With all seats in place, folded or removed, the Sienna boasts class-leading cargo space.
The Sienna’s dashboard includes intuitive three-zone manual climate controls and simple, legible instruments, but wheel-mounted audio controls are not included in the two base trim levels. There are plenty of storage bins and cupholders, which is great for trips to far away shopping malls. Overall, the Sienna’s cockpit emphasizes function over form.
The 4-cylinder Sienna LE is the most-affordable model in the line-up and retails for $27,900 before tax, freight and delivery. The base V6 model is only a thousand bucks more and will probably attract more buyers. As for competition, the Kia Sedona LX and Dodge Grand Caravan SE start at $27,995, while the Nissan Quest and Honda Odyssey are priced from about $30K.
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| The new Sienna is two feet longer than a ‘80s Toyota Van, one foot longer than a ‘90s Previa. |
And then, it happened. Like every other vehicle segment, minivans got bigger. And bigger. And bigger, to the point where even a 3.0-litre V6 engine seems overworked. Soccer Moms probably got tired of paying for $50 fill-ups, because the minivan had gotten big to the point where they could hardly be called mini. Oh yeah, we also fell in love with SUVs which, ironically, also required $50 fill-ups at the time.
And despite the size increase, a minivan still carries 7 passengers, sometimes 8. The latest-generation Sienna, introduced last year, is two feet longer than the ‘80s Toyota Van and one foot longer than the ‘90s Previa. One thing it has in common with its predecessors—at least the specific Sienna I’m driving this week—is that it’s powered by a 4-cylinder engine.
You’re kidding, you say? Nope. Obviously, a V6 is still the way to go for most buyers, but Toyota is trying to prove that you can get decent fuel economy out of a minivan. The 2.7-litre four develops 187 horsepower and 186 lb-ft of torque, and it’s managed by a 6-speed automatic transmission with a manual mode.
Off the cuff, I must say that I was expecting the 4,189-lb weight of our Sienna tester to take its toll on straight-line performance. I was wrong. We clocked a 0 to 100 km/h time of 8.5 seconds which, ironically, is quicker than the V6-powered minivans entered in the AJAC’s 2011 Car of the Year competition, the 248-hp Honda Odyssey (9.2) and the 266-hp Sienna (8.8).
In addition, the 6-speed tranny keeps the engine spinning at just 2,000 rpm while you’re driving at 100 km/h on the highway, which is good for both cabin noise and fuel economy.
Alas, when you start loading up this Sienna with passengers, that’s when the 2.7 starts working harder, but without complaint, and fuel consumption goes up. Our average of 11.7 L/100 km is better than with a V6, but not by much. Figure about 13 L/100 km with the bigger engine under the same conditions.
Unsurprisingly, acceleration suffers exponentially as you fill the Sienna with 200-lb adults and cargo. Toyota doesn’t recommend towing with the 4-cylinder engine, and consequently isn’t publishing a tow capacity rating.
Inside, the LE with the 2.7 gets a 7-passenger seating configuration, which means captain’s chairs in the 2nd row and a split-folding bench in the 3rd. Interior space isn’t as voluminous as in the new Honda Odyssey and Nissan Quest, but each occupant benefits from plenty of room nonetheless. With all seats in place, folded or removed, the Sienna boasts class-leading cargo space.
The Sienna’s dashboard includes intuitive three-zone manual climate controls and simple, legible instruments, but wheel-mounted audio controls are not included in the two base trim levels. There are plenty of storage bins and cupholders, which is great for trips to far away shopping malls. Overall, the Sienna’s cockpit emphasizes function over form.
The 4-cylinder Sienna LE is the most-affordable model in the line-up and retails for $27,900 before tax, freight and delivery. The base V6 model is only a thousand bucks more and will probably attract more buyers. As for competition, the Kia Sedona LX and Dodge Grand Caravan SE start at $27,995, while the Nissan Quest and Honda Odyssey are priced from about $30K.
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